Sky Songs is going to the great playlist in the sky. BSkyB's music streaming and download service is playing its final notes after failing to steal the market from rivals like Spotify.

In a statement, Sky Songs told us that "regrettably we've not been able to reach a large enough customer base in order for the service to continue".

Songs you've downloaded from the service will stay in your library, and payments have been automatically cancelled. Streaming will be available until 7 February 2011, when the service closes for good.

Sky Songs launched in October 2009 with a catalogue of four million songs. It had more sophisticated search, playlist and library features than its dominant rival, Spotify, with a nifty mini-player and loads of editorial content. The site partnered with music blogs, including Popjustice and Holy Moly, to help you find new music, something that Spotify still isn't great at.

The editorial content was great but the quality not so much, with music encoded at a much lower rate than rival offerings. The service originally cost £6.50 or £7.50 for unlimited streaming and 10 or 15 downloads per month, although the price dropped to as little as £5 throughout the year.

There was a boom in streaming services this time last year, when we pitched Sky Songs against Spotify and a relaunched Napster, but little has changed in 2010. It was also around this time last year that everybody was talking about Spotify's US launch, and, a year later, there's no sign of a stateside move for the streaming service.

About the author

Rich Trenholm is a senior editor at CNET where he covers everything from phones to bionic implants. Based in London since 2007, he has travelled the world seeking out the latest and best consumer technology for your enjoyment.
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